Dragonfly Class (Age 4 by December)

In the Dragonfly Class children are viewed as capable, competent members of our community and we want them to be heard. Respecting one another, showing tolerance and learning to accept each other as well as ourselves is imperative in our personal growth. Through observation and interactions we will guide children to be tolerant of themselves and others. Giving children the opportunity to accept not only their successes but also their failures will help them be accepting of themselves and others. Helping them build communication and negotiation skills at an early age will help not only the child but our community as a whole. We want to encourage kind and respectful behavior of everyone in our class. There is great value in creating adventure and exploration through the environment and curriculum. Fostering creativity and critical thinking through this exploration is integral in engaging children in learning and making sense of their world.

Every child in the Dragonfly Class is at a different stage in their interest and development regarding academics. We don’t ever force academic learning because children at this age are often not ready. The things they are learning through their play are extremely valuable and we will do our best to facilitate that as well as provide academic learning opportunities that they may participate in if interested through their play like making menus for the kitchen or having a store and learning about money. We focus on the process of our projects and not necessarily the outcome. During art sessions, we encourage the kids to be individuals. Instead of forcing product oriented artwork, we allow the kids to be creative. If they want to paint only with orange paint one day, we encourage them to do so. This places the focus more on the process than the product. It’s about encouraging exploration and creativity in the Dragonfly Class!

Our monthly snack schedule is available for download on our About page. Snack is the same for all classes.

Check out our school calendar for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.

Denise Rhodes, Lead Teacher

In the Dragonfly Class our main goal is for your child to learn to love school and to be excited about coming to school. Children learn through play, so it is our responsibility to provide an environment that creates opportunities for your child to be open to play and interactions with their peers. We want to create a caring community of learners, sparking in them the desire to investigate and explore. While doing this we also want to build a community within our classroom and our school, to do that we need to build relationships with our families, and hope that they build relationships with each other. l want to thank you for this opportunity to share your child with us. I would like to share a little bit about myself with you.

I have been a Teacher at Little Acorn since 2004. I have over 15 year’s experience working in a Pre-School setting, mainly with 3 & 4 year olds. Finishing up my degree in Early Childhood Education from Clark College in 2014 has truly turned into my passion! I believe that this age is SO important in becoming a lifelong learner! It is our goal to guide behavior and encourage problem solving, explorations, tolerance of self and others, creating self-confidence by doing so.

On a personal note....I am married to a wonderful man named Darrell. We just celebrated our 28th anniversary. We have two children and three cats. My son, Dakota who recently served in the US Navy is now back home working and going to school. My daughter, Sierra just graduated from Hudson’s Bay High School and had graduated from the Aveda Institute. We enjoy fishing, camping and I personally love the beach. There is nothing like a storm on the ocean!

We look forward to a fun and enjoyable year with your families

Maria Castaneda, Assistant Teacher

My name is Maria Castaneda and I am the assistant teacher in the Dragonfly Class. I am very excited to continuing being part of our The Little Acorn team!. It has been a great adventure to be able to work with an amazing team of passionate staff. I’ve been working in early childhood education for over 5 years and I enjoy being able to make a difference in a young person’s future.

Here are a couple things I want you to know about me! I love spending time with my family and boyfriend of 5 years! We enjoy going camping, hiking and just spending time together. I especially love going to the beach to relax!

I am so excited to meet our Dragonfly friends, we will be growing and learning with this year. It's going to be a great year full of adventures!